Library
Hall/Library Hall Lofts
704-712 Grand Street
Bergen Hill

Grand Street
and Intersection of Summit Avenue and Ivy Place

Library Hall can
be seen just behind E.S. Wells' old Rough on Rats laboratory formerly
located on the northwest corner of Summit Avenue and Grand Street in this
photograph (circa 1890).
Source: McLean, History of Jersey City, NJ(1895)

In
this photograph (circa 1940?), looking southeast along
Summit Avenue near the intersection of
Cornelison Avenue, Library Hall can be seen on the left.
Courtesy, Jersey City Free Public Library

The former Library Hall
on Grand Street is one of Jersey City's many restoration projects that
carries forward a piece of the community's history.

The
five-story red brick structure was a multipurpose building constructed
for the Township of Bergen in 1865-66 and was used by Bergen City, 1868-1870.
It was a time of transition for the nation just after the Civil War
and five years prior to the incorporation of the City of Jersey City
in 1870. The Township's Bergen Library Association intended the building
to be a civic center boasting the first public lending library, as the
name conveyed, a town hall and jail, and a meeting place for community
organizations. According to reporter Ricardo Kaulessar, "by 1871,
the library portion of the facility was discontinued due to waning public
interest." It reportedly had 14,000 books.

The
triangular-shaped building continued to be used by clubs and organizations
such as the Lincoln
Association of Jersey City, which held its first Lincoln Ball on
Christmas Eve in 1867 at the site. Church groups such as the former
St. John's Episcopal Church rented the facility, and it was a popular
venue for social events and political rallies.

With
the formation of the municipality of Jersey City in 1870 and by the
World War I era, the building lost its original purposes and was either
vacant or used commercially. In 1891 the Bergen Hall Association sold
the building to Dominicus Wegman. The Fourth Precinct of the Jersey
City Police Department occupied the building during the 1890s. Kaulessar
notes that afterwards, "it was known as Phoenix Hall, a rally spot
for those sympathetic to the Irish Revolution that occurred at the beginning
of the 20th century." In 1917, the Junction Milling Company, opposite
the building, used it for storage. In December of 1945, Milton Michael
of Michael's Furniture bought the building as a salesroom and warehouse,
and then, at some future date, it became the National Rug and Carpet
Store.

In
2005 Larry Brush of Jersey City purchased the building and Minervini-Vandermark
Architecture of Hoboken began the restoration of the sturdy mid-nineteenth
century building in the Morris
Canal Development area. The original three-story Romanesque windows
direct one's eyes to the gray brick-and-glass designed penthouses added
as an extension to the roof. It has fourteen condominium units.